1967 National 500

{{short description|American NASCAR auto race in 1967}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}

{{NASCAR race season infobox

| Type = CUST

| Description = Race 47 of 49 in the 1967 NASCAR Grand National Series season

| Race Name = National 500

| Details ref = {{cite web | url = http://www.almanac.com/weather/history/zipcode/28027/1967-10-15 | title = 1967 National 500 weather information | publisher = The Old Farmers' Almanac| date = | accessdate = 2012-09-14}}

| Fulldate = {{Start date|1967|10|15}}

| Year = 1967

| Race_No = 47

| Season_No = 49

| Image = Glotzbach1967National500.jpg

| Caption = Charlie Glotzbach (72) avoided this incident and finished fourth.

| Official name = National 500

| Location = Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, North Carolina

| Course_mi = 1.500

| Course_km = 2.414

| Distance_laps = 334

| Distance_mi = 501

| Distance_km = 804

| Avg = {{convert|130.317|mi/h}}

| Weather = Temperatures of {{convert|77|F|C}}; wind speeds of {{convert|8.9|mph|km/h}}

| Attendance = 60,000{{cite web | url = http://racing-reference.info/race/1967_National_500/W | title = 1967 National 500 race information | publisher = Racing Reference| date = | accessdate = 2011-04-04}}

| Pole_Driver = Cale Yarborough

| Pole_Team = Wood Brothers

| Pole_Time = 139.470

| Most_Driver = Buddy Baker

| Most_Team = Ray Fox

| Most_laps = 160

| Car = 3

| First_Driver = Buddy Baker

| First_Team = Ray Fox

}}

The 1967 National 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series stock car race that was held on October 15, 1967, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.

The transition to purpose-built racecars began in the early 1960s and occurred gradually over that decade. Changes made to the sport by the late 1960s brought an end to the "strictly stock" vehicles of the 1950s.

Race report

The race was held on a dry circuit; with no precipitation recorded around the speedway.{{cite web | url = http://www.sercc.com/CharlotteNASCARClimatology.pdf | title = Charlotte NASCAR Climatology | publisher = SERCC | accessdate = 2018-09-12 | archive-date = 2018-09-08 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180908092914/http://www.sercc.com/CharlotteNASCARClimatology.pdf | url-status = dead }}

Sixty thousand live spectators attended the event where Buddy Baker managed to defeat Bobby Isaac by more than one lap; becoming the 100th different driver to win what is now known as a NASCAR Cup Series race. Nine cautions were handed out by NASCAR officials for 64 laps. The race took three hours and fifty minutes to fully complete. Cale Yarborough achieved the pole position with a qualifying speed of {{convert|130.317|mph|km/h}}. In reality, the speeds in the race actually approached {{convert|130.317|mph|km/h}}. Whitey Gerken finished in last place due to a crash on lap 2 out of the 334 laps raced on a paved track spanning {{convert|1.500|mi|km}}. All 44 of the drivers on the racing grid were American-born males. Future three time Formula One Champion Jackie Stewart entered but he failed to qualify.

Richard Petty 10-race winning streak ended at this race. Bobby Wawak made his best career finish as an owner with one of his vehicles finishing in seventh place. The qualifying speeds recorded for the race were an average for a 4-lap qualifying run. J.T. Putney raced his way into this one by winning the last chance qualifying race. He then finished 11th in the main event with Henley Gray, another driver who raced in, taking 12th.

LeeRoy Yarbrough was scheduled to drive in Junior Johnson's No. 26 vehicle but the car was wrecked in practice due to a fire extinguisher going off automatically.Greg Fielden's "Charlotte Motor Speedway", p. 55 22 lead changes were made amongst seven different leaders.{{cite web | url = http://www.race-database.com/results/results.php?year=1967&race=47&series_id=2 | title = 1967 National 500 race information (second reference) | publisher = Race Database| date = | accessdate = 2011-04-05}}

Notable crew chiefs on attendance for the race were Harry Hyde, Dale Inman, Jake Elder among others.{{cite web | url = https://www.racing-reference.info/entrylist/1967-47/W/C | title = 1967 National 500 crew chiefs information | publisher = Racing Reference| date = | accessdate = 2018-08-28}}

Don Schissler and Dub Simpson made their NASCAR debuts here. The total prize purse for this race was $87,005 (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|87005|1967|r=0}}}} when adjusted for inflation). Buddy Baker received $18,950 in winnings (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|18950|1967|r=0}}}} when adjusted for inflation) while last-place finisher Whitey Gerken walked away with only $625 (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|625|1967|r=0}}}} when adjusted for inflation).{{cite web | url = http://fantasyracingcheatsheet.com/nascar/races/results/1967/charlotte-motor-speedway/national-500/1057 | title = 1967 National 500 race information | publisher = Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet| date = | accessdate = 2012-09-15}}

=Qualifying=

Note: The speeds shown are an average for a 4-lap qualifying run.

The first 37 spots in the field were set via qualifying. The final 7 spots were filled by the top 7 finishers in a 20-lap qualifying race.

class="wikitable"
Grid

! {{Tooltip|No.|Car number}}

! Driver

! Manufacturer

! Qualifying time{{cite web | url = http://racing-reference.info/getqualify/1967-47/W | title = 1967 National 500 qualifying information | publisher = Racing Reference| date = | accessdate = 2017-04-12}}

! {{Tooltip|Speed|Speed in miles per hour}}

! Owner

1

| 21 || Cale Yarborough || '67 Ford || 2:19.470 || 154.872 || Wood Brothers

2

| 27 || A.J. Foyt || '67 Ford || 2:19.960 || 154.329 || Banjo Matthews

3

| 99 || Paul Goldsmith || '67 Plymouth || 2:20.070 || 154.208 || Ray Nichels

4

| 3 || Buddy Baker || '67 Dodge || 2:20.200 || 154.065 || Ray Fox

5

| 43 || Richard Petty || '67 Plymouth || 2:20.490 || 153.747 || Petty Enterprises

6

| 6 || Darel Dieringer || '67 Dodge || 2:20.941 || 153.256 || Cotton Owens

7

| 17 || David Pearson || '67 Ford || 2:21.101 || 153.082 || Holman-Moody

8

| 29 || Dick Hutcherson || '67 Ford || 2:21.640 || 152.499 || Bondy Long

9

| 72 || Charlie Glotzbach || '65 Dodge || 2:22.370 || 151.717 || Nord Krauskopf

10

| 48 || James Hylton || '65 Dodge || 2:22.321 || 151.770 || Bud Hartje

Finishing order

Failed to qualify

Section reference:

class="wikitable"
Name

! Number

! Car manufacturer

LeeRoy Yarbrough

| 26

| Ford

Jackie Stewart

| 5

| Dodge

Frog Fagan

| 75

| Ford

Bill Seifert

| 45

| Ford

Don Biederman

| 94

| Chevrolet

Ken Spikes

| 62

| Pontiac

References

{{reflist}}

{{s-start}}

{{succession box |

before = 1967 Wilkes 400|

after = 1967 American 500|

title = NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season|

years = 1967 |

}}

{{s-end}}

{{s-start}}

{{succession box

|before = 1966

|after = 1968

|title = National 500 races

|years = 1967

}}

{{s-end}}

{{1967 NASCAR Grand National}}

{{authority control}}

National 500

National 500

Category:NASCAR races at Charlotte Motor Speedway